Combined leveling and plumbing implement.



S. L. 0. IAYLOR. CQM'BINED LEVELING AND PLUMBING IMPLEMENT.

AP C

PLI ATIUN FILED JUNE 30 ISHS Patented-Oct' 9' 2 SHEETS-suza! l.

S. I.. 0. TAYLOR. COMBINED LEVELING AND PLUMBING IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 30. |9I6. 1,242,740. Patented oct. 9,1917.

l Grtomvu' N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAB LEE OWEN TAYLOR, 0F HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE- THBD T0 MOTIE LUTHER RUSSELL, ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES C. TAYLOR, AND ONE' THIRD T0 J'. W. HENSLEY, ALL 0F HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. e, 1917.

Application illed June 30, 1916. Serial No. 106,811.

To all whom it may concer/n.'

' Be it known that I, SILAs LEE OWEN TAY- Loii, a citizen of the United States residing at Huntington, in' the county of abell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Levelin and Plumbing Implements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined leveling and plumbing implements, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the elliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed implement which may be employed as a plumbing or leveling implement, as a support'for a flexible element coacting with the 4plurnbin portion and which may also be graduate to serve as a tapeline, and likewise containing a foldable carpenters square, or like implement also coacting'with the plumbing portion of the implement, the various devices being so disposed that they do not interfere with each other or with the ordinary uses of the im lement.

With t ese and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a vertical front elevation, partly in section, of the improved implement;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the saine;

Fig. 3 is a view enlarged of a portion of the body `of the implement including one of the plumbing devices, with the cover removed; y

4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig`1 'g'. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of 6 is an enlarged, side elevation o f a portion of the body at one end illustrating the arrangement of the folding square portion of the device;

Fi 7 is a bottom lan view of the ortion iown in Fig. 6 with the swingin b ade of the square in section on the line -7 of Figj is a perspective view from beneath of stud 12` and partakes of its rotation.

'opening through one side, and pre a portion of the swinging blade portion of the square;

Fig. 9 is a detached perspective view from labove of the swinging blade locking memer; y t f Fig. 10 is a detached perspective view of the ard plate associated with the swinging` lade portion of the device;

ig. 11 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 11-11 of Fig. 6.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following descri tion and indicated in all the views of t e drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved implement comprises a body portion, represented as a whole at 10, and preferably of wood, of the ordinary size or dimensions of a conventional spirit level, but may be of other sizes and material if preferred. Near one end a cavity is formed in the body 10 to receive a casing 11, preferably circular, and in which a stud 12 is mounted for rotation and provided with an operating handle, re resented conventionall at 13, externally o the casin 11 and of t e bodylO. The operating hand e 13 is preferably foldable and preferably of the form usually employed in connection with ordinary tapeline reels.

A receiving drum 14 is connected to Ethe mbedded within the adjacent end of the body 10 is a socket 15 which communicates through a passage 16 with the interior of the casing 11 and is referabl provided with guide rollers 17. onnecte at one end to the drum 14 is a iiexible member 18 preferably iii tape form and extending through the passage 16 and between'the rollers 17 and is providedwith a pull rin or loop 19 whch'is received within the soc et 15 when the fiex'ible member is entirely rolled upon the drum as illustrated in Fig. 1. Thus no part of the exible member extends beyond the casing 10 when thelatter is in rolled or withdrawn position. The member 18 may be graduated to serve as a tapelne, if preferred. Formed within the bodfy 10 and erably intermediate its ends, .is a recess or cavity, represented conventionally at 20, while a similar cavity is formed in the end of the body 10 opposite to the casing 11 of the flexible Vinem-- ber 18. The intermediate cavity 20 and the corresponding terminal cavity, the latter not being shown in detail, are desi ed to receive and support plumbing devices, and as the plumbing devices are recisely alike the description of lone will su ce for both.

Located within the recess 20 and against its inner face is a metal plate 21, referably circular and provided with a urality of aduations, indicated at 22, an preferably ormed upon a projecting ledge or iiange 23, the latter being semi-circular in outline, or extending from the up er half of the plate 21. Attached to the pliante 21 is a centering member 24, and likewise attached to the plate is a bracket device 25 having a centermg socket in alinement with the centering socket of the member 24. The centers of the members 24-25 are preferably formed ofl refractorysubstance substantially the same as employed in watches and clocks and designated jewels l Engaging in the centers or jewels of the members 24-25 is a short shaft or pin 26, the member 26 being thus arranged to vibrate or rotate in the jewels as centers, wliereby the friction is materially reduced. Extending from the shaft member 26 is a pointer 27 which is thus caused to move in close proximity to the aduatioris 22. Extending from the shaft 26 at the side opposite the pointer is a counterbalance -device 28, as large and heavy as possible, and which operates to maintain the pointer in vertical position.

A clamp screw 29 o perates through the bracket member 25 and 1s designed to engage the weight 28 and hold the atter and the pointer 27 in stationary osition when required, as hereafter more ully explained.

-A cover member re resented as a whole at 30, is-embedded body; 10 externally of the cavity 20 and is provided with an opening inthe upper side adapted to receive a transparent body 31, such as glass and through w ich the position of the poin*er relative to the graduations is readily discernible. The graduations may be of any required number, but will preferwithin the faceA of the ably be arranged to denote the more com` monly used degrees of a circle, and may be of any require number and spaced any required distance a art. The glam vered opening is prefera ly 'greater than one-half o the cavity 20, so that the range of movement of the. ointer is suilicient to indicate when the y 10 is in exact horizontal or exact perpendicular osition and at numerous intermediate omts. When the imple ment is to be use as a level, the intermediate indicator or plumbing device will be employed, and when the lmplement is to be used or plumbin the indicator device at the upper end of e body will be emiloyed either alone or in coaction with the exlble element 18. When the member 18 is thus 1s pivotally connected thereto at 36. The

pivot 36 extends through the adjacent portions of the blades 33--34 and is received at its inner end, as shown at 37,' in a locking member, represented as a whole at '38. Depending from the offset portion 35 ofthe blade 34 are holding ribs 39 spaced apart and arranged in pairs, two pairs of the ribs bein generally employed as shown in Fig. 8. he upper face of the member 38 is formed with a square groove 40 into which the inner or adjacent pair of the ribs 39 eni gage, while the outer rib members engage over the outer face of the member 38. The channels 40 correspond in length to the ribs 39, and the blade 34, is, therefore, adapted to be disposed in two positions relative to the member 38. Thus when the blade 34 is disposed in parallel relation to the blade 32 the inner pair of ribs 39 will enga e in the channels 40 which extend transversy of the body 10, and when the blade 34 is disposed at right angles to the blade 32, as shown in Fig. 6, the mner pair of the ribs 39 will en gage 1n the channels 40 which extend longitudinally of the body 10. The member 38l is arranged to be moved away from the blades 32 and 34 and within a recess 41 in the body 10 and against the resistance of a slplring 42-within t erecess as illustrated in 'g. 11. The projecting portion of the pivot pin 36 also serves as a push button whereby the member 38 may be depressed against the resistance of the spring 42 to detach the channels 40 from eng ment with the ribs 39, thusreleasing the abde A34: and permitting it to be rotated irplon the pin`36 1n changing its position. us when the blades 32-34 are t0 be disposed in parallel relation, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, pressure is applied to the combined push button and pin to depress the locking member and separatethehchniiels 4&0 frcli the ribs 39 aid permit e a e 3 to corresponding' V de ressed until the body of the latter blad'e is elow the lower line of the blade 32 when the blade 34 can be readily rotated upon its llpivot to either one of its two positions as w' be obvious. When either one of the two positions is thus reached the reaction of the sprin 42 will lock the blades 32.- 34

resented at 43, and in alinement longitudinally of the terminal pointer 27 and the line of movement of the iexible element 18 when the pointer 27 is in parallel relation to the side edges of the body 10 and of its line 43.

When thus arranged, the movable blade 34 when disposed in its outer position, will coact with the pointer and flexible element to accurately denote the right angled position of any body. Either of the pointers 27 may also be employed in coaction with the flexible element 18 and the graduations 22 to denote any required angular position of the body 10.

A compass, shown conventionally at 45, is embedded in the body 10. The recess 41 is preferably inclosed by a guard plate 44.

The improved implement is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and of any required size.

Having thus descrlbed the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a body having a longitudinally directed recess, a stationary blade attached to the body and forming one side of said recess, and a movable blade swinging relative to said stationary blade and adapted to be seated in said recess when in one position, said movable blade having an olf-set and a stop shoulder coacting with the stationary blade to i hold the movable blade positively in extended position relative to the stationary blade.

2. In a device of the class described, a body having a longitudinally directed recess, a stationary blade attached to the body and forming one side of said recess, a movable blade swinging relative to said stationary blade and adapted to be seated in said recessV when in one position, said movable blade having an olf-set and a stop shoulder coactin with the stationary blade to hold the mova le blade positivel in extended position relative to the stationary blade, and a locking device spring supported, and operating to hold said movable blade positively in open position and yieldably in withdrawn position.

3. In a device of the class described, a supporting body having a longitudinally directed recess, a blade stationary with said body and forming one side of said recess, a blade .pivoted to swing relative to said stationary blade and having stop ribs extending in spaced relation, a locking member having sockets at right-angles to each other, one set of said sockets adapted to receive the stop ribs when the movable blade is in withdrawn position and the other set of said sockets to receive the stop ribs when the movable blade is in extended position, and means for holding said locking member in engagement with said stop ribs.

4. In a device of the class described, a supporting body, a stationary blade attached to said body with one edge in alinement with one edge of the body, a blade movable relative to the stationary blade and having stop ribs, a locking member spring supported and having a pluralit of sockets to receive said stop ribs when t e movable Y blade is in different positions and hold the same, and a pin connected to Said locking member and extending through said blades and forming pivotal connection between the same, said extension beyond the stationary blade adapting the same to be compressed to actuate the locking member.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

sims LEE oWEN TAYLOR. [a e.; 

